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(Go HERE to view the Blurt Movie Thoughts master page, which has links to all previous installments.)

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The Disaster Artist

From my love of a “behind the scenes” movie to my actual love of Tommy Wiseau’s 2001 The Room, The Disaster Artist continues to just be the one film that replays over and over in my head. Throughout the whole movie I had transcended into actually feeling like I was on set of The Room through James Franco’s Tommy Wieseau’s impression, alongside the huge cast of amazing actors and actresses that included Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, and Zac Efron. If you have not seen it because you are timid about James Franco making fun of it, or if you are just unfamiliar with it in general, I suggest taking a breath, watching The Room with a group of friends, and then watching The Disaster Artist.

Good Time

This still has to be one of my favorite crime movies in quite a while. From one of the best scores of the year, by Oneohtrix Point Never, to the dark ‘80s vibe that has me anxious to see what the Safdie Brothers are gonna do next. What are they doing next? A remake of 48 Hours. Which has me very, very excited.

Yorgos Lanthimos likes to make movies that will linger in your head for a very long time. I don’t think in all of 2017 I have seen a movie quite like this. Pretty sure I’ve never seen a movie like this ever.

Seeing Raw without having any idea of what you are about to get yourself into is probably the best way to go into seeing it for maximum sense overload and an overall mind-blowing experience from director Julia Ducournau. Raw ends up being one of the most original cannibal stories in quite some time. Garance Marillier plays Justine, a devout vegetarian who just entered her first year of veterinarian school alongside her sister, Alexia, played by the wonderful Ella Rumpf. She enters a rough college world—from twisted hazing to her finding out who she really is—which is something really pro-founding. With cinematography overtones of Dario Argento, this is definitely a must-watch for any horror movie connoisseur.

I, Tonya

This was one of the most spectacular surprises I had all 2017—from being unsure of seeing a movie I knew about from seeing on the news at a very young age and not caring then, to being completely spellbound by Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Tonya Harding and the story that covers not just “The Incident” but her life before and after. I can only hope that Robbie ends up taking the “Best Actress” award at this years Oscars.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Unfortunately, I can see Valerian not making a lot of lists this year, but I had one of the best times at the theater seeing it. Hopefully after it hits the streaming services and physical copies are released, it will come back around and get the praise it deserves.

By far, one of the most multidimensional movies of the year was directed by Jordan Peele. Get Out was marketed as a horror movie where many thought it was not a horror movie. Whatever you thought the film brought to you, you can’t deny it being one of the best of 2017. Being that it’s Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is impressive and definitely has solidified for him a promising career in film.

Brigsby Bear

One of the year’s most underrated movies was a small film done by a group of the Saturday Night Live current and past crew. Written and staring Kyle Mooney and produced by the Lonely Island (Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone) comedy trio, Brigsby Bear takes you on an ‘80s trip that has dark overtones of 2015’s Lenny Abrahamson-directed Room. Which is a confusing sentence to read if you do read that right: Lonely Island comedy mixed with Room. From the cast that also includes Mark Hamill, Claire Danes, and Greg Kinnear, it’s one that people should definitely check out.

Colossal

From the new distribution company, Neon, came its first film of 2017 that casts a giant shadow into what the distribution company can bring to the table (the second movie they released this year is I, Tonya). Starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, Colossal is a comedic love story blended with giant monster movie vibes. Overall, just a solid movie that leaves you satisfied.

The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon put the story of the entire relationship out on screen this year and it ended up being one of the most romantic movies of the year. From one of my favorite directors, Michael Showalter, to some of my favorite actors and actresses, The Big Sick will be hailed as one of the classic movies from the year of 2017 when we look back from years to come.

(Go HERE to view the Blurt Movie Thoughts master page, which has links to all previous installments.)

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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

4 out of 5 stars

With a movie title like that, you figured it would be a movie that would be hard to remember but after leaving the film, Three Billboards will be stuck in your head for a while. From the hilariously dark mind of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths) comes his newest film, and he doesn’t stray away from his normal style of filmmaking—movies that are filled with vivid characters who come to the screen to do damage in numbers. Here, the cast includes Francis McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, and Peter Dinklage.

Mildred Hayes (McDormand) who is a recently-divorced, still-grieving mother over the death of her daughter who was raped then brutally murdered, rents out three billboards seven months after the murder, all located within a few feet of her house and on a road not many travel down. The billboard read, in order, “Raped while dying”—“And still no arrests”—“How come, Chief Willoughby?”

Chief Willoughby (Harrelson) and racist officer Jason Dixon (Rockwell) are notified about the billboards, which brings on a series of events to try to figure out who killed Mildred’s daughter.

With a topic such a rape and murder you would think that you would not be ready for a movie filled with belly laughs, but here, it is quite the opposite. Martin McDonagh movies have characters who are as evil and conniving as they are laughable (either at or along with).

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was initially out in select cities, but distribution was subsequently expanded and it is currently in most markets.

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer

5 out of 5 stars

From the warped mind of Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, Dogtooth) comes his latest, amazing, but yet hard to stomach movie. Now, when I say hard to stomach you can take that in two ways. As in, this movie is shit, or this movie has a couple scenes that will make you cringe in your chair. This movie will definitely make you cringe in your chair.

Starring in the film is Colin Farrell as Steven Murphy, a cardiothoracic surgeon who befriends Martin (Barry Keoghan), a grieving young teenage boy whose father was lost on the operating table years ago when Steven performed surgery on him. Martin comes over for dinner and befriends the rest of the family, which includes Nicole Kidman as Steven’s wife, Anna, along with their children Bob and Kim (played by Sunny Suljic and Raffey Cassidy).

Martin tries to repay the favor by asking Steven over to his house for dinner. He obliges, but then later, Martin’s mother makes sexual advances towards him, making him uncomfortable and eager to leave. Martin then tracks down Steven at the hospital where he works to let him know that he has placed a curse on Steven and that he must choose one of the members of his own family. As the curse moves forwards—including paralyzing Bob and Kim along with making them not eat—tension is built through the movie via a free-jazz style soundtrack that puts a cold sweat on the back of the viewer’s neck, leaving you anxious to have some resolution in the near future.

With dizzying camerawork and a stunning acting from the whole crew, this is one that will go on to make it into this year’s top 10 movies.

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Creep 2

4 out of 5 stars

Found footage horror movies are something that filmmakers either hate deeply or love immensely. From The Blair Witch Project to V/H/S to Paranormal Activity, there have been some that rule the genre as well as those you can instantly forget came out.

From Mark Duplass (The League, Creep, and a lot of other amazing projects), Patrick Brice (Creep, The Overnight), and Jason Blum (CEO of Blumhouse Productions) comes the sequel to 2014’s Creep, a movie that you might have watched on Netflix in the wee hours of the night as you searched for something unique to watch. If you haven’t yet, make sure to go watch Creep now before you read anymore. It’s definitely worth watching.

Here, Sara is a videographer/blogger who has a YouTube series titled “Encounters” where she meets eccentric characters, ranging from people who like to cuddle to some who just want them to be in a hot tub with. From her not knowing what to do next and thinking of ending her series, Sara finds an ad where somebody has offered to $1,000 to film them for an entire day. Who that person is, Sara will then go on to figure out that is none other than, Aaron (Duplass), aka “Peach Fuzz.”

If you remember the first Creep then you might have had the same horrible dream of the character “Peach Fuzz” and how Mark Duplass can play a delightful, but yet sinister and terrifying murderer.

Aaron reveals to her that he is a depressed killer who feels like he is losing his momentum and passion, then invites Sara along for the ride that she definitely was not expecting. Sara soon goes toe-to-toe with Aaron via games and trying to be ahead of the curve as she documents her day with the murderer.

If you’re looking for something that will make you squirm, laugh, and say “what the fuck” out loud a lot, make sure you watch Creep 2, but only if you’ve seen Creep first.

From one of the grossest movies to come out of SXSW—and the first ever winner of the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award—it’s time for Peter Vack’s new film to hit your small screen, it’s ASSHOLES!!

From the warped mind of Vack, it is a story about love, poppers, and fascination of the brown hole. No, literally. This is exactly what this movie is about and you should definitely watch it, if you know that’s your thing. Well, at least one of those things might tickle your fancy.

The romantic tale of Adah (Betsey Brown) and Aaron (Jack Dunphy) as the relapse from sobriety to falling into, well, each other’s assholes and drugs. From blending the likes of Wes Anderson’s style to mumble core pioneers such as the Duplass brothers, Peter Vack has definitely made a name for himself in a crowd of niche underground absurd indie movies. His streak continues here, from Adah and Aaron running around the downtown streets of New York, causing mayhem as they run into a candid crowd as they indulge in poppers and public sex, to the scene where they summon the a shit demon “Mephistopheles,” or “Mephi” for short, played by Eileen Deetz who you might not know was the face of Pazuzu in The Exorcist.

So if you’re into far out gross mumble core movies I highly recommend this movie. If you are the complete opposite I heard Blade Runner 2049 is still in theaters. (Thanks for that, Matti. Gonna go see BR2049 again as soon as I finish posting this. Hey, when’s a new Stan Brakhage retrospective duet?—Niche Ed.)

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The Babysitter

2.5 out of 5 stars

McG’s comedic horror film “The Babysitter” hit Netflix a couple weeks ago and I finally got around to watching it since I was in the horror film mood and I was awaiting the season 2 drop of Stranger Things (which you could imagine is as amazing as the first one).

If you’re not familiar with McG’s movies, he is essentially a mini version of Michael Bay. Lots of explosions, silly and predictable yet fun story lines, and babes. Pretty much “Chad’s” favorite movie director.

The Babysitter is as mind-numbing as it sounds. Twelve-year-old Cole Johnson (played by Judah Lewis) is a bullied middle school student whose parents still thinks he needs a babysitter and is curious to find out what happens downstairs after he gets tucked into bed by his babysitter, Bee (played by Samara Weaving, pictured above). This plays off of the old story that once you go to bed, the babysitter invites her boyfriend over to get some late night action while there is no parental supervision (gasp!)

.Once Cole goes to bed, he decides to sneak downstairs to find out that the babysitter has invited some guests over to play a simple game of spin the bottle mixed in with truth or dare. There the game turns to a Satanic sacrifice upon one of the goofy, less fortunate “friends”.

As Cole starts to figure out ways to escape the house and from the clutches of each one of the Bee’s friends in ways that mimic Home Alone traps, it ends up being a not terrible movie because you have already seen this movie a dozen times before. Just with different antagonists and another kind of zero to hero character. So I really wouldn’t recommend this movie—or really wouldn’t not recommend this movie. Just hope that you have something else to watch before passing out on the couch.

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The Florida Project

4 out of 5 stars

From the mind of Sean Baker comes his newest film “The Florida Project” where again he tackles humanity, family, friendship—and just being an overall great storyteller. Using art direction and costume design that remind of you of any Wes Anderson movie, Sean relays the story of The Magic Castle Motel in Kissimmee, Florida, right around the corner from Walt Disney Resort.

From the perspective of young Moonee (played by the amazingly talented Brooklynn Prince), her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite), Jack the manager of the motel (Willem Dafoe), and Moonee’s gang of friends who stay and visit, the movie gives you the lighthearted laughs you want in a comedy but also the “pull on your heart-strings” of a drama. From the misadventures that Moonee and her friends take you on, like burning down a house, to Jack trying to be the father-figure to Moonee and boss of a motel of unemployed and struggling families, this has potential Oscar nominations written all over it.

mother! is the most recent film from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream) that hit theaters last week, and it has left some lasting impressions among movie-goers. Some that absolutely love the film, some that hate it, and the rest conflicted in its hot mess of storytelling and allegories.

SPOILERS! From strange marketing in which the film is almost perceived as a horror movie, and trailers that left you asking, what the hell is this movie even about, the movie has one of the most eccentric tellings of the Bible in recent times—possibly ever.

I went in blindly, wanting to know as little as possible before seeing mother!, and for good reasons. Most Darren Aronofsky films have been thought provoking pieces of cinema, so after making his blockbuster flop Noah, I knew that he would want to return to his roots of making a “balls to the wall” film.

Javier Bardem and Jennifer Lawrence move into a house into the middle of nowhere, disconnected from the outside. Javier’s character, simply named “him” throughout the movie, is a poet and has retreated from the busy world to try to get out of his writer’s block and have a child with his wife, “mother,” played by Jennifer.

mother! is a powerful retrospective telling of the Bible, ultimately, including worshiping idols, the telling of Cain and Abel, and the powers that religion can turn any event into something of extraordinary violence.

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Death Note

1 out of 5 Stars

Netflix recently partnered with horror director Adam Wingard to deliver one of the worst films of 2017. It really pains me to say that, too, since I am a big fan of Wingard’s work (along with Netflix’s ongoing premium programming).

Based on the hit manga where a shinigami—or death god—drops a notebook called the “Death Note” in the human realm, the main character, Light (played by Nat Wolff), finds the notebook and then is shadowed by the shinigami, “Ryuk” (voiced by Willem Dafoe). The Death Note is a notebook that you can write down whatever and however you want to get rid of someone—yes, that kind of getting rid of someone. As Ryuk lets Light figure out how to use the Death Note, and if he is should use the book for good or evil, Light sees himself using it for his own good. Other characters, including the main counterpart “L” (played by Lakeith Stanfield). start to figure out who is using in a pretty basic cat and mouse game.

The biggest reason the film was atrocious… well, pretty much the entire movie is atrocious due to the overacting and scrambled screenplay, with the worst ‘90s TV show dialogue imaginable. If you think the plot has you intrigued, I suggest watching the anime series—or simply just reading the original manga.

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Good Time

5 out of 5 stars

Every now and then a movie comes out that is destined to be a cult hit from the get-go. Good Time is a movie that will do just that. From blending art-house cinematography to the gripping, harsh abrasive soundtrack by Oneohtrix Point Never, the film never gives up and is one of the few films that can uphold through film history books.

Earlier in the year The Safdie Brothers took their film to the Cannes Film Festival. There, they won Best Soundtrack Award, beating out Jonny Greenwood for You Were Never Really Here, Ibrahim Maalouf for Hikari, and Jed Kurzel for Jupiter’s Moon.

From the film’s opening week until now, more and more people are starting to see Good Time, as it ends up being a word of mouth movie rather than using a large budget to heavily promote the film. The film has come close enough, having already surpassed It’s budget, a little over a cool million, in box office earnings.

The film is based around Robert Pattison’s character, who gets his brother with learning disabilities to rob a bank together with him. It examines the road between the characters and what ultimate fate they both must face.

In words that I would use more commonly to someone in person—go see this movie immediately, and definitely in a theater if you still can.

BLURT’S MOVIE THOUGHTS ARE READY FOR SCREENING. Join our man in the Balcony, Daniel Matti, as he reviews recent films that are floating his boat, and even some that he feels should be sunk out of mercy. You’ll also be able to check out movie trailers, posters, and related ephemera. – Ed.

Welcome to Movie Thoughts!

My name is Daniel Matti (I go by Matti) and I’m the main writer/editor here at Movie Thoughts. A little spot where I will post my thoughts about recent movies here at BLURT. Contact me via email: dmrorschach (at) gmail.com

A little background about myself: I’m a 29 year old movie/music enthusiast with tastes in pretty much every edge of the spectrum. When it comes to movies, horror is my forte, but that doesn’t limit me from liking a good rom-com, action, or avant-garde foreign film.

I’ve created this little oasis on the edge of BLURT to voice my opinion without having to bother my friends and family about which hot new extreme French movie I thought was the best film of the year. Also in hopes of inspiring other people to go out and catch flicks sometimes they would never usually see—or ones to avoid.

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Serial Reel #1: Reviews of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (by Luc Besson), A Ghost Story (by David Lowery), and Kuso (by Steve Ellison, aka Flying Lotus).

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MOVIE THOUGHTSJoin our man in the balcony, Daniel Matti, who knows of what he views.Go HEREto read the latest reviews and updates. Most recently: Top 10 Films of 2017, including The Disaster Artist, Good Time, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.